The Sound of Forgiveness
by Naisa
Summary: Part 3 in Spices Trilogy. It has been five years since Feu disappeared, when Merlin and King Arthur search the forest after hearing about some strange attacks, unknowing of the surprises that are in store for them... TRILOGY NOW COMPLETE
1. Chapter 1

_Hi everyone!_

_This is the first chapter of The Sound of Forgiveness, the sequel to The Taste of Revenge, which is a sequel to The Smell of Spices (the technical term for that is gee-too-many-sequels-on-a-Sunday-afternoon! Lol!)_

_The story takes place five years since the last chapter of Taste of Revenge, when Feu ran away because Uther was trying to kill her and without even saying goodbye to Merlin! ): Oh and she was also pregnant with Merlin's child…woops!…_

_Anyway, this story is fairly short compared to the other two, but I hope you enjoy! (: Reviews appreciated as always (:_

'You gave up the fight  
You left me behind  
All that's done's forgiven  
You'll always be mine  
I know deep inside  
All that's done's forgiven'

- Within Temptation, Forgiven.

Chapter 1

Dwyn heard the hoof beats stepping across the dirt-track road before her saw it. He smiled, showing black and missing teeth. He nodded at his men, each almost as scrawny and untrustworthy as he, and they hid themselves behind trees and bushes near by, waiting for the mysterious horse to come closer.

Dwyn waited around a small bend, he didn't need to worry how close he was by the roadside, he would see who was on the horse before they saw him. He pulled his knife out of his torn trouser pocket, just in case they faced any trouble. By the sound of it, there was only one horse, so it wouldn't be difficult for him and his six men to ambush and overpower whoever was on the horse.

After another minute or so, the horse finally came into view. It was a large white horse with a greying muzzle, it was not one that Dwyn had seen before, but he imagined a handsome stallion like that could fetch up a good price. But for the moment, he focused on the people riding the horse.

There were two people on the horse, both wearing cloaks and had their faces covered by hoods. The first person Dwyn could tell was a woman, she held the reins of the white horse in her hands, but she didn't direct it, as if there was no need to. She was wearing a dark blue cloak; another item Dwyn thought would make a good price on the market. The woman's hood was up, so Dwyn couldn't see her eyes, he could just see thin lips and slightly tanned skin. It looked like they had been travelling somewhere; that meant the woman must be rich. Dwyn licked his cracked lips, wondering how much money the woman might be carrying in her purse.

What surprised Dwyn most about this sight though, was that the second person, wasn't even a person, it was a child. The child was only small, and wore a dark green cloak; it kept its head buried in the woman's back, too scared to show the forest its face. Dwyn wasn't used to seeing what looked like a mother and child on one of these deserted, winding tracks. Perhaps they didn't know that such places were dangerous. Well, they were about to find out.

The white horse and its riders were right in front of Dwyn when he decided to step out in the middle of the road. The horse was going at a slow pace, so managed to stop in time, but it seemed unnerved by how this person had suddenly appeared in its line of vision, however it remained steady. The woman showed hardly any reaction at all to Dwyn's appearance, and the child continued to hide its face.

"Lost madam?" Dwyn asked as politely as possible, smiling a horrible smile up at the stranger on the horse.

"No," said the woman curtly.

"You should be careful," Dwyn continued, he was enjoying himself, he couldn't help it. He couldn't stop thinking about how easy their victim was and how much money the woman might be hiding. It wasn't every day he came across such a treat. "Dangerous people might be hiding in these woods."

Dwyn couldn't see the woman's eyes, but he was sure, by the way he lips thinned even more, that she was glaring at him. "Quite probably," she said in a low, hard voice. "You best let me pass then stranger before we account any trouble."

Dwyn put on a pretend expression of worry. "Well, there we have a problem," he told the woman. "Looking after these roads costs a lot of money, so I need a small payment before you can pass." He explained.

As soon as Dwyn said this, it was his men's cue. They slowly began to emerge from the undergrowth.

"It doesn't look like these roads get a lot of care to me," the woman told him.

"It's because we haven't had a lot of money to maintain them," Dwyn explained with a casual shrug.

"You lie." The woman snapped suddenly. "You want the money for yourself."

There was a pause, Dwyn wondered how the woman had found out he was lying. But it was too late for her now, so he shrugged.

"Ah, you saw through us. Alas, this is true," Dwyn couldn't help smiling. His men were stepping closer and closer towards the woman, the child and the horse on all sides. There was no way for them to escape, so there was no need to tell any more lies.

"I see through everyone," the woman said in a whisper that Dwyn barely heard, and it unnerved him a little, but there was no need to feel afraid, his men were now completely surrounding the horse.

"Mummy," suddenly said a very small voice.

It was the child on the back of the horse, which Dwyn realised was a small boy. He lifted up his head, showing large, blue eyes. He glanced around anxiously at the men that were surrounding them.

"Ssh, it's all right." His mother said gently. She hadn't even glanced at the men around her, but it seemed that she knew they were there. "We have nothing to give to you, thief," she said harshly, "you shall take nothing."

But to Dwyn, that sounded like the woman did have something worth taking. He knew people lied, they did it all the time to try and protect themselves, and he always knew when they were lying. He took a step forward, and his men did the same.

"I think we should decide for ourselves about that." He said darkly.

The little boy glanced around wildly at the men surrounding him, clearly terrified. But still the woman kept her eyes fixed on Dwyn.

"I have nothing to give." The woman said a little more harshly.

Dwyn grinned. "I prefer if I find that out for myself."

"You will take nothing." She repeated.

"No," Dwyn grunted, getting slightly annoyed now. He assumed that the woman would be afraid and give up her possessions quickly, but it seemed she would need a bit of persuading. "We will take what we want."

The woman's endless gaze was beginning to affect Dwyn; shivers ran up his spine as he felt her eyes continuing to dig into him, as if she could see everything inside him. And yet he still couldn't see her eyes.

The woman said nothing, but it seemed that there was nothing needed to be said. She didn't need to tell him again that he would take nothing.

"Fine," Dwyn said between gritted teeth. "It seems that you'll need a bit of persuading. How about the boy?"

As soon as Dwyn said this, his men launched an attack. One of them grabbed the reins of the horse to prevent it from trying to flee as it reared up in panic. The other five men grabbed the little boy and tried to pull him off the horse.

The little boy screamed and cried out for his mother. Now the woman finally took notice of the men, looking at each of them in turn, telling them desperately to leave her little boy alone, not to hurt her son. The boy tried to put up a fight, but the men pulled him off the horse with ease. One grabbed hold of his shoulder and put his other arm around his chest to stop him from trying to run.

Everything suddenly went very calm when Dwyn handed the man holding the boy his knife. And the man put the knife to the boy's throat.

Suddenly, the little boy stopped squirming and crying. He became as still as a statue, staring up at his mother with wide blue eyes. All of Dwyn's men were still, and the woman had stopped shouting. Still sitting on the white horse, she turned her attention back to Dwyn.

"You'll regret this." She hissed at him between gritted teeth.

Dwyn laughed, thinking the game was up, and ordered the woman to also be pulled down from the horse.

That was when things went drastically and terrifyingly wrong.

As the remaining four men tried to pull the woman down from the horse, the hood of her cloak fell, revealing her face.

A cascade of long, golden hair flowed down the woman's back. For a moment Dwyn could have sworn that her eyes were a deep blue, but within seconds they had suddenly turned a bright green colour, filled with pure hatred and anger. The woman's teeth suddenly grew into fangs, and she lashed out at one of the men trying to pull her down from the horse.

The man was hit hard over the head by a hand that no longer had fingernails, but claws. With a surprise of cry and pain, blood trickling down his face, the man fell backwards. Before any of Dwyn's men were able to pull the woman off the horse, she jumped off herself, attacking any of the men that came near, fighting her way to get to her son.

Dwyn's men put up a good fight, but they were no match to the sudden, unexpected strength and fighting skill of the woman. Some tried to knock her to the ground with sticks, but she simply turned and scratched at their throats, bit at their faces until they fell back in fear and pain. All the time the woman was hissing and spitting with anger.

Soon Dwyn's men were either lying on the floor bleeding, or fleeing into the forest. The woman only needed to step towards the man still holding her son. He took one look at her bright green eyes and the blood spattering her cloak, before dropping the knife and running into the trees.

Finally the woman turned to Dwyn, the only man still standing in the forest. She stepped menacingly towards him, and he stepped back, eyes filled with terror. He had never seen anything like it.

Dwyn raised a shaking finger, pointing at the woman, he opened his mouth to say something, but the woman spoke first.

She leapt towards Dwyn, grabbing him by his tatty colour with such a tight grip he wouldn't have been able to get away if he tried.

"Let this be a warning to you." She said between gritted, fanged teeth. Her eyes slowly fading back into a blue colour, but the hatred still remained. "Keep away from my son."

Dwyn took one look at the bloodstained teeth, and nodded hastily, his heart thudding in his rib cage. For the first time in his life he was preying, preying for his life.

Fortunately, his nod was enough for the woman, as she let him go, allowing him to run into the forest as fast as he legs could carry him. Dwyn only glanced back once to see three of his men lying on the ground, and it looked like only one of them was still alive. Swearing his revenge silently, Dwyn disappeared into the trees.

Now a lot calmer, the woman went back over to her son, whose eyes were filling with tears.

"Mummy," he said in a tiny voice, "you promised you wouldn't do it again Mummy."

"I know darling," the woman said gently, pulling her son into a soft hug and stroking his dark. "I'm sorry, but it will be all right. I promise."


	2. Chapter 2

_So far, in each of these stories with Feu I have dedicated a chapter to someone or something. So I thought, if you don't mind, that I did it with this one as well._

_It's been a week since my great Uncle Ted's funeral and I just want to say that, even though I don't remember you, you were a special person to lots of people, and looking after someone with dementia makes me proud of you. And if I had a choice, I would live until I was 94!_

_Anyway, hope you enjoy the chapter, please review (:_

_Oh and by the way, last line in chapter one says 'stroking his dark.'…it's meant to be 'dark hair' not just 'dark'! Lol, sorry! Spelling is a bit of a weakness of mine, although you probably already worked that out…_

Chapter 2

Arthur strode purposefully through the forests, as he had been doing for the past hour-and-a-half. He only stopped once when he heard the usual trip and stumble of his friend, and he turned around to see Merlin quickly pull himself back onto his feet and scoop up the armour and sword that he had dropped.

Arthur couldn't help but laugh, "little too much gin this morning Merlin? Even you usually have managed to find your legs by now."

Merlin couldn't see the funny side. He scowled, "no." He snapped, his face going slightly pink by the fact he had almost fallen over. "I was just…distracted."

"Really?" Arthur raised a disbelieving eyebrow while still grinning.

"Yes, and also you walk too fast! How can I keep up when I'm the one carrying everything?" Merlin demanded, not caring how rude he sounded. He was irritated by the fact he had been woken up before the sun had even risen and that he was having to carry Arthur's armour.

"After all these years Merlin, and still the same excuses," Arthur said, shaking his head and trying to hold back even more laughter. He rolled his eyes, "just leave the armour and give me the sword," he instructed, taking the sword from Merlin and letting him drop the rest on the ground. "But when we get back you'll have to polish that armour again now it's been on the floor."

Merlin could see the smirk on his face and wasn't very happy. He stormed off through the forest, glaring and muttering about how stuck-up Princes turn into stuck-up Kings. Arthur heard this quite clearly, and he chuckled.

"I don't understand why we're here anyway," Merlin added over his shoulder as Arthur followed him through the trees.

"What do you mean?" Arthur asked.

"Well, bandits mysteriously disappearing, surely they do that all the time? They're just bandits, thieves. They've probably just gone to another road to set up traps, or another village to plunder. I don't understand why we should be taking such an interest."

"Because they didn't disappear," Arthur explained, "some were found late last night, dead. Mysterious wounds that I haven't seen before, scratch and bite marks, almost as if they were attacked by some giant cat."

Merlin swallowed, he didn't like the sound of that. "So, let me guess, we're here to find whatever killed them?" He said.

"Either that, or I thought a nice early morning stroll would do you the world of good."

Merlin still couldn't see the humour in Arthur's words yet. He simply scowled again, "can't we just leave it? Perhaps this…giant cat, doesn't want to be disturbed, we might just anger it. Perhaps it was the bandits that provoked it in the first place, in which case we should keep our distance. Why should you care anyway Arthur? They were bandits, notorious robbers, no one's going to miss them."

Arthur was surprised at this, he stared at Merlin, not sure if he had just heard those words come from such a caring person. Perhaps it was a bit too early in the morning for him. "Because Merlin, it could hurt other people too. Yes these roads aren't used very often, but the fact that the bandits are there shows that someone must be using them, and that means other people could be in danger. The creature could also move to villages, or closer to Camelot, and then we _will_ have trouble. Do you really want anyone else to get hurt?"

Merlin went quiet, he knew Arthur was right. He just couldn't get rid of a horrible nagging feeling that perhaps while they were looking for the beast, the beast was looking for _them_. That was never a good combination.

The sun was now high in the sky, shining through the trees, but Merlin found himself shivering.

"Have you ever heard of such a creature before?" Arthur asked as they continued through the forest.

Merlin shook his head, "not by the description of the attacks, I've never seen or read of such a creature before," he admitted.

Arthur's brow furrowed, this only made him more concerned. He had never heard of such a thing either, and both of them had faced a large variety of monsters. How was he going to face something he had never seen before? "Do you think it could be magical?" He asked suddenly, knowing Merlin would be the person who would know the answer.

"Perhaps," Merlin said with a casual shrug of the shoulders, but his eyes looked nervous. A new magical creature was never a good sign, even in these times of peace in Camelot.

They continued through the forest in silence, neither wanting to say anything that would make the situation more worrying.

As they entered deeper within the trees, the world became darker, and their ears listened keenly for any unusual sound, like twigs snapping or growls of a beast. But the world was silent.

"It's so quiet," Merlin said out-loud suddenly.

"Well not any more," Arthur couldn't help but snap back, jumping at any small noise he heard. He was feeling strangely nervous.

"But that's the thing. It's the morning, surely we should be hearing bird song? But there's nothing, that means that something's scared them off, or maybe there's something that shouldn't be here."

Arthur looked up at the trees around him. He hated to realise that Merlin was right, all the branches were empty. There was always a chance that their presence had scared them off, but then surely they would have heard the birds fleeing from the trees. There was nothing but silence.

A few more paces onwards however, Arthur and Merlin found out what the unusual creature was, lurking in the forest.

Little did they know that they were being watched by two large, curious yet fearful, eyes. As they stepped closer to the hiding place of the one whom the eyes belonged to, it panicked and stumbled backwards, wondering what these strangers were doing in the forest, why one of them was holding a sword, and why the other smelled so strongly of magic.

Arthur and Merlin heard the stumbling footsteps, not far off through the trees.

"This way," Arthur said in a whisper, beckoning Merlin forward with his free hand, raising his sword with the other.

The stumbling footsteps faltered and suddenly stopped. Merlin wondered if perhaps the creature had already run off into the trees, or maybe the creature was stopped because it was preparing to fight back.

Arthur could tell the creature was still there, hiding just behind some trees ahead of him. He stepped closer towards it.

"Careful Arthur," Merlin whispered, lingering behind him, waiting for what might pounce out from its hiding place.

Reaching out with his hand, Arthur suddenly lunged forward and grabbed whatever was hiding behind the tree.

There was a stifled squeal that was close to a scream, and Arthur was surprised when he found himself holding material that was definitely not the skin of an animal. It was a cloak. He pulled the strange creature roughly out of its hiding place, and his eyes widened with shock when he saw that he had not captured a creature, but a boy.

The boy was only small, less than half the height of Arthur; his legs almost hung in the air as Arthur still held onto his dark green cloak. Dark hair hung over the boy's large, blue eyes, which were even larger because of the fear pulsing through his small veins.

Behind him, Arthur heard Merlin gasp, and he dropped the boy quickly before he caused any harm.

The boy froze for a few moments, staring up at Arthur.

"Who are you?" Arthur asked, he tried to sound friendly but his voice was stern. What was the boy doing all alone in the forest? He could have been spying on them, by what for? Was he not aware there had been a creature attack? Why didn't he say anything?

Before Arthur could ask anything else, the little boy turned and ran.

"Hey come back!" Arthur cried, but the little boy didn't stop.

The child ran passed Merlin, who tried to grab him with outstretched arms, but the boy was too fast, and disappeared quickly between the trees before Merlin could think of a magic spell to stop him.

"Quick after him!" Cried Arthur. He wanted to know where the boy was going, and he didn't want the child to run into the creature.

Merlin and Arthur followed the boy in quick pursuit; it was easy to follow the footprints on the soft earth. The boy was still running incredibly fast, but the trees were slowing him down, Arthur and Merlin were catching up, every-now-and-then calling out to him to stop.

Suddenly, the boy did stop, because he had run into someone else.

Arthur and Merlin froze before the new appearance, and stared in disbelief.

The new stranger in the forest was a woman, who was wearing the same type of cloak as the boy who was now wrapping his arms around her legs. She had golden hair that flowed down her back, and her eyes were a dark blue that glittered with mystery.

But the strangest thing of all, was that this stranger, was not a stranger at all. Even though Merlin hadn't seen her for five years.

Feu put a comforting arm around the boy and muttered something about how he shouldn't run off, before looking up at the men in front of her.

She uttered a small gasp before all four of them fell into silence.

It seemed that Feu didn't know what to make of the situation, as different expressions constantly flickered over her face. Surprise, fear, joy, shock, confusion, in the end she found herself just staring open mouthed, just like Arthur and Merlin were doing to her.

After a few moments, Feu's eyes concentrated on just one person standing in front of her, who wasn't sure if he had entered heaven or hell.

"Merlin…" She began in a small voice, knowing what emotions had to be going through his mind.

But Merlin didn't say anything; he just took one more look at Feu and the small boy, before turning and fleeing through the forest.


	3. Chapter 3

_If this chapter's rubbish, blame it on the fact I feel REALLY ill. ): This chapter has ended up two chapters merged into one, so this story might be EVEN shorter! There is also a lot of dialogue, so sorry if that annoys you :S_

_Reviews much appreciated (:_

Chapter 3

"Merlin!" Cried Feu, frozen to the spot as she watched the man she had once loved, and still loved, disappear within the trees, "Merlin come back!"

"Merlin!" Arthur bellowed as well, but he kept his eyes focused on the trees ahead of him, not the woman standing just beside him.

"Where's he going?" Asked the little boy, who was still clutching onto one of Feu's legs. "What's wrong with him?"

"There's nothing wrong with him Addis!" Feu snapped back angrily. She turned to Arthur, "why did he run?" She asked.

It was a few more moments before Arthur looked round at Feu, and when she did, she saw that his eyes were hard. "Because he had been waiting for so long, and in the end, he just thought you were lost," he told her firmly.

There was a pause, where Feu's guilt could almost be felt drifting in the air.

"I have to go after him," Feu told Arthur suddenly, "but I can't leave…" she looked down at the little boy she had called Addis, who was peering at Arthur from behind her legs. Her head snapped back up to Arthur's "you can look after him right?"

Arthur's mouth fell open with surprise. He had hardly seen Feu for a few moments and she was asking him a favour? A rather unexpected one at that, "what?" he just managed to say.

"You can look after him, you'll be fine," Arthur wasn't sure if Feu was talking to him or the little boy.

Arthur looked down at Addis, who stared up at him with his large blue eyes. "Who is he?"

"His name's Addis," Feu said hurriedly, she wanted to get after Merlin as quickly as possible before she lost him again. "He's my nephew, I've been looking after him." She explained.

"I didn't know you had a nephew…" Arthur began, now clearly confused.

"Neither did I until I found him," Feu called out behind her, as she had already started running towards the trees where Merlin had disappeared. "Just stay there until I come back!" She shouted back to Arthur and Addis, who were now standing alone in the forest.

Feu then vanished within the trees quicker than it took Arthur to open his mouth and shout back an annoyed reply.

Arthur looked down at Addis, who gave him a cheery smile and asked if he could hold the big sword. Arthur groaned, he had never looked after children before, and he had a feeling that starting to do so in the middle of the forest with a boy he had never seen before, was not a good place to start.

XXX

It didn't take Feu long to work out which direction Merlin had run, and to catch up with him.

The trees around were nothing but a green-brown blur as Feu sped past them, trying desperately to keep the same pace as Merlin, but he was just a little bit ahead of her still, and the gap wasn't closing.

"Merlin!" Feu cried when she got close enough to know that he could hear her. "Merlin slow down!"

Merlin didn't look back when he heard Feu's desperate, sweet voice echo around the trees, nor did he reply, but Feu continued to shout at him.

"Merlin why are you running away?" She demanded.

"You did! Imagine how I felt when you ran away!" Merlin said suddenly, but he kept on running.

"What?"

"Imagine how I felt when Arthur had to tell me that you had gone away, you had disappeared, and for no reason why!"

This was no situation to start an argument, but Feu couldn't help herself, "there _was_ a good reason why I had to go—"

"No, there wasn't!" It may have been five years since they had last seen each other, but Feu knew she had never heard Merlin found so harsh, so angry. "I could have protected you from Uther Feu, I could have come with you, we could have just hid away until Camelot was safe again. But no, you decided to leave me. I waited for you Feu, every day, every time I heard someone coming, I thought it might have been you. Even if you had just come back to say goodbye. No one knew where you had gone; one of the guards could have caught you, or one of your enemies. Samar was one of your enemies, how many more did you have? I started to think you were dead, and then maybe you didn't even exist and I was going mad. I should have known from the start it was too good to be true that there was someone out there who would love me and stay with me forever!"

"You weren't going mad Merlin—" Feu began, but Merlin hadn't finished.

"I knew you would come back, even though deep down something told me you had gone for good, I kept on waiting. And when I finally give up, here you are!"

"But Merlin—" but before Feu could say anything else, Merlin had picked up the pace, and Feu could do nothing but watch him once again disappearing through the trees.

With a sigh full of desperation and annoyance, Feu slowed down to a halt. She wiped a tear from her eye she didn't even realise was there, and for a few moments she felt like she just wanted to burst into guilty tears.

She thought she would have a chance of seeing him again, something she had always wanted to do. But she had ended up chasing him away.

Feu wasn't going to give up that easily, however, and she wasn't one to cry…usually. She looked around the trees, thinking of a different path she could take, and then started running again.

When the shouting behind Merlin had finally ceased, he thought he had managed to out-run Feu, but he kept on running through the forest, as if he feared her presence might still be there.

After a few more minutes of constant running, Merlin glanced behind him, seeing nothing but the tall trunks of trees he had just passed. Thinking that Feu had finally disappeared, or maybe it was just a dream, he turned his head back to the direction he was running, hoping to get out of the forest and get some fresh air.

And almost ran straight into Feu.

Merlin was so surprised to see the ominous figure before him; he let out a cry and skidded to a halt. He almost knocked into Feu, but she remained motionless, staring at him with her sparkling eyes.

"Why would you run from me?" She asked in a low, serious voice.

"Why do you think?" Merlin snapped back. If he had been a Doe, his eyes would have changed colour.

Feu seemed to sense this, and she tensed, but remained still and calm, she would just make things worse if her eyes changed colour. When she spoke again, her voice was gentle. "You waited for me, all that time?" She asked.

"Yes," Merlin muttered, "even though Arthur and Gaius told me you probably wouldn't be coming back, because staying away from Uther would be the sensible thing to do. Still I waited."

"Five years is a long time."

"I've worked that one out."

"Then why did you run when you saw me?" Feu asked.

"Because I had only just stopped waiting." Merlin still sounded angry, but his voice was calmer. "I assumed you had lost interest, or you were dead. So I decided it was best for me to lose interest. I still dream about you sometimes, about the times we had together or where you could be. Then suddenly you appear, as if it was all a dream again. I have seen many things Feu, but I have never felt so scared and angry. I still feel that this is a dream."

Feu slowly reached forwards and took Merlin's hand. "This isn't a dream Merlin," she told him, looking up into his glowering eyes. "I may have been far away, but my heart has always been in Camelot." She paused, "why did you think I ever stopped loving you?" She asked, her voice now nothing but a whisper.

"Arthur told me you still loved me, after you had gone." Merlin explained, "but I thought if you did, you would have at least come and said goodbye to me, or tell me why you were going."

But Merlin wasn't the only one who thought about his lost loved one. Every night for almost five years Feu would lay awake, gazing at the stars, wondering where Merlin was, what was happening in Camelot, if he had forgotten about her already. She felt a burning shame inside her that she was responsible for the suffering Merlin had gone through over so many days, so many weeks, so many months, so many years. She felt like she would give anything to turn back time and find a way so that she couldn't leave. But something inside told her; it was the best thing to do after all.

"It would have never worked Merlin. I would never fit in to Camelot, I was a magical person, a strange creature people had never heard of. I never told you about the way people looked at me when I passed them in the street." Feu confessed suddenly, "I never told you that once I cried at night because I wondered if it was better just to go back to the forest and lived alone, because I knew what people thought about me. The only reason I stayed was for you. Then you got into danger, and it was all my fault. I knew I couldn't let that happen again, and when Uther ordered my execution, I knew I could no longer stay in Camelot. It was all too much, or it would have been too much in the end."

_And I was pregnant and I didn't know how you were going to react. _Feu added in her head, but she said nothing.

There was a long silence; Feu could tell Merlin was thinking the things she had just said over in his head. There was a frown on his face, but it was more from confusion than anger. Feu realised she was still holding onto his hand, but he wasn't holding hers. For a few moments, she wondered if perhaps she had ruined any future they could possibly have together with one foolish mistake. Merlin might hate her forever.

Feu felt her eyes filling with tears, "can you forgive me Merlin?" She said suddenly, her voice strangely small and weak. For the first time, Merlin looked up into her eyes. "Can you forgive me for what I did to you? I could never forgive myself. I just want to know that you've forgiven me for all that's happened. If you don't, I don't know what I'll do. Trust me Merlin, I have _never _stopped loving you."

Suddenly, Merlin through his arms round Feu in such a tight embrace she could hardly breathe. Surprised, but relieved, Feu hugged him back, and couldn't stop the tears of relief flowing down her cheeks when she heard Merlin say:

"Of course I can, of course I can forgive you. I don't care if I have to wait another hundred years to see you again, I will always love you."


	4. Chapter 4

_Sorry about the slightly delayed update, I was busy, and I didn't want to update it because I felt this chapter was SO bad :S_

_I hope that it's not as bad as it seems. I'm feeling quite tired so if it is we can just blame that factor. A lot of dialogue in this chapter again, but I think it's going to be like that for the next couple of chapters, a lot needs to be said I suppose…either that or it's just really bad writing skills!_

_Oh and slight spoiler for last episode of series 3, the rest of the stuff in this chapter based after series 3 I made up._

Chapter 4

Merlin and Feu's run through the forest and argument could scarcely go unnoticed. Someone had watched it all, followed their trail through the trees, listened to their desperate and angry shouts, spied as they found each other again through the loneliness and the hatred.

The conflicting emotions that hung within the trees let the someone's presence go unnoticed, even for Feu. They were able to watch and listen to everything. They didn't really care about the tall, dark haired man, who they had never seen before. All they cared about was Feu, and where the little boy had gone.

Someone watched, and someone waited.

XXX

Feu and Merlin walked slowly back through the forest, to where they had left a rather shocked and confused Arthur with Addis. At first they walked in silence, feeling nervous and uncomfortable. But as time peacefully passed, a relieved smile played on their faces, and their hands joined together, and they began to talk quietly about times that had passed.

"So Arthur's King now?" Said Feu; it didn't take her long to work it out, even if she hadn't been told before she came to the forest.

Merlin nodded, "Yep," he said, "and I'm still the manservant."

Feu chuckled at this, "That must be something to be proud of though?"

Merlin shrugged, "Just the same as he was when he was a Prince, only I have to be a _little _bit nicer to him." Feu laughed, but she could tell by the smile on Merlin's face that he actually quite enjoyed being the manservant to the King.

"For how long has he been King?"

"Almost two years now,"

"Is he a good King?" Feu asked, trying not to think about why Merlin looked strangely upset by his answer.

"He's a great King," Merlin told her happily, "like I always knew he would be." But then there was a pause, "you know magic is a lot more acceptable in Camelot now, it would have been safe for you to come back. Arthur wouldn't have turned you away." He said quietly, he avoid Feu's bright eyes, as he couldn't help but feel upset and a little angry once more at this thought.

"I know," was all Feu replied.

"Then why didn't you come back?"

Feu gave a small shrug, "well I haven't known for that long, and there were things…keeping me away."

"What things?"

Feu shrugged again, "I don't know why Merlin, I think I was just scared that you would react…like you did react. And I had adopted my nephew, the little boy you saw me with, his name's Addis. I had to look after him and he was still too young to be taken all the way to Camelot."

Feu briefly wondered then if it was a good idea to have left Addis with Arthur, who had probably never spent five minutes alone with a child, and they must have been gone for at least an hour. But there wasn't much she could do about that now. Just as long as Arthur didn't do anything stupid…

"There's something else as well though," Merlin said suddenly, interrupting Feu from her thoughts. He looked back up into her eyes, and knew there was something else she wasn't telling him.

Feu nodded, "I couldn't help thinking that Morgana would be waiting for me when I returned." There was a pause, "is she still in Camelot?" Feu asked.

Merlin shook his head; "She disappeared three years ago. She tried to take over Camelot with her sister, we only just managed to stop her."

Feu nodded, but was silent. Merlin had expected her to look relieved at the news that Morgana, the woman who had ordered her death long before Uther, was gone. But instead Feu's eyes were filled with more worry, and Merlin had a feeling there was something else she wasn't telling him.

Feu could sense this, so quickly changed the subject before Merlin started asking awkward questions. She would tell him the truth, but in time.

"So what else has changed in Camelot while I've been away?" She asked casually.

It was Merlin's turn to shrug. "Not much else to tell you really. Arthur's King, there is no need to fear to use of magic any more, although there still are those who would prefer darker magic to rule. Uther was declared too sick to rule after Morgana had disappeared, and a few months later he died. We haven't seen Morgana since she disappeared, and we think he sister, Morgause, is dead, but we cannot be sure. Arthur and Gwen were married only a few months after Uther's death."

At this news, a small smile began to play again on Feu's lips, leaving Merlin curious and confused.

"What is it?"

"Nothing," Feu assured him. She was just thinking of the last words that she had said to Arthur before she left Camelot, five long years ago.

_Gwen's nice._

"So have you…" Feu hesitated, not sure how to say what was suddenly plaguing her mind. "Have you found anyone else since I was gone?"

There was a short silence, in which Feu felt herself go a little pale. It was her fault she had gone away, but that wouldn't stop her from feeling broken hearted if Merlin confessed that he had met someone else.

"There's no one like you." Merlin said in a murmur, and Feu couldn't help but feel the rush of relief. "What about you?" He added.

Feu shook her head, "apart from Addis, I've been alone for a lot of the time. But I heard a rumour that there were a group of Does travelling around. I had started to think Addis and me were the only Does left, and we're only half Doe at that. I was so happy when I heard the news, I thought perhaps I might join them one day." She told him happily.

Merlin went suddenly quiet again. "Or you could stay in Camelot." He suggested in a small voice.

"We'll see," said Feu gently, with a feeling that she was starting to sound far too much like a mother. But they had only just met again; it was too soon to be talking about the future, when there was so much of the present and the past they had not yet discussed. She didn't want to think about what the future might hold for them, not yet.

"So how long have you been looking after Addis?" Merlin asked.

"Err…a few years now." Feu explained, "he looks about eight, but really he's a lot younger, because he's a Doe, we look older than we actually are when we're quite young, if that makes sense. He certainly acts like a child though, he can be a real handful sometimes," she joked.

Merlin looked down at Feu's hand that was still clasped in his, "do you think we would have started a family ourselves if you had stayed?" He asked quietly, trying to show that it was nothing but curiosity, not a longing or a broken wish.

Feu didn't say anything. There was something that she desperately wanted to say, but for some reason, she just couldn't say it.

Fortunately, before any more uncomfortable silences could continue, or before an even more uncomfortable conversation could begin, Feu and Merlin reached the patch of trees where they had left Arthur and Addis alone.

Arthur was waiting for them, his arms folded and his foot tapping on the ground impatiently. He didn't look very happy to see them.

Feu looked around, "where's Addis?" She asked worriedly.

"He's fine," Arthur assured her.

Arthur glanced down at Feu and Merlin's hands, which they were still holding. "Well I'm glad to see you've made up," he told them, and he almost sounded happy and relieved, if he wasn't feeling irritated at the same time.

Feu and Merlin hadn't noticed Arthur's irritation, or they were choosing not to. They just looked up into each other's eyes and smiled, something neither of them thought they would be able to do ever again.

"Well I'm just glad that I wasn't left alone with Addis for no reason," Arthur continued.

Feu suddenly looked worried, "oh no, he didn't show off with his magic and end up setting fire to your hair? He's done that before."

Merlin couldn't help it, he burst out laughing. All his anger and frustration, that had been turned into relief and happiness, and the image of Arthur with badly singed hair was all a bit too much. Feu elbowed him in the ribs, as she too was trying very hard not to laugh.

Arthur couldn't quite see the funny side, "no," he told them curtly. "But he does talk an awful lot, and he likes to wander off."

"Oh yes, I should have warned you about that," Feu admitted, looking slightly guilty.

"It would have been nice if you had warned me about the magic as well…oh come on Merlin it's not that funny!" Arthur suddenly snapped at a still chuckling Merlin.

"It is a little bit funny," Feu told him, as she started to giggle as well.

But Arthur hadn't quite finished with her yet; "there's something else Feu. I'd like to have a word with you, in private."

He turned and marched off into the trees. Feu followed, looking behind her and giving a confused shrug to Merlin, who did the same. Feu was in too much of a good mood to really worry about what Arthur was going to say, or that someone may still be watching them.


	5. Chapter 5

_Here's chapter 5, bit happier with this one compared with chapter 4, so I hope you like it too (:_

Just want to say, the word "magkick"…yes that is a spelling mistake, but it was a deliberate one, I'm sure you'll understand why when you see it in context, please review (:

Chapter 5

"So Arthur, I come back for a few minutes after been missing for five years and already I'm in trouble," Feu joked, following Arthur through the trees, wondering what was the cause of this private conversation.

The cause suddenly came hurtling through the trees. It would have ended with a nasty collision with Feu if she had not put her hands out to slow the little boy down. She knelt down to Addis' height so he could give her a proper hug.

"Hello M—" he began excitedly.

"Ssh," Feu said hastily, she couldn't help but glance swiftly up at Arthur to see his reaction, "not here Addis," she whispered.

Poor Addis looked confused; he looked up at his mother with large eyes. "Why?" He asked loudly, not thinking that perhaps his mother would want him to whisper too.

Feu was about to open her mouth to make some excuse that would stop Arthur giving her questioning looks and to explain to Addis that he couldn't call her Mummy for a few days at the same time, but Arthur spoke first.

"There's no point trying to hide it Feu," he said sternly, "I know."

At this, Feu looked a little sad, and hung her head. Addis, confused, started playing with her hair. He was fascinated by the bright colour, and how soft it felt in his fingers. He had almost forgotten for a few moments that Arthur was there, until he looked up and grinned.

"Arthur's funny," he decided to randomly announce to Feu.

Feu smiled weakly, "oh I'm sure he is dear, without even trying to be."

Addis giggled, and tried to sit on Feu's knees, causing her to sit in an awkward crouched position. Arthur was still standing, looking down at her.

"How long did it take you to work it out?" Feu asked Arthur in a murmur, as Addis began fiddling with her hair again. There was no point trying to avoid the question, even though Addis' random outbursts did help.

Arthur shrugged, "not long. There's something similar about you two, even though you don't look much the same. You have the same smile. But it's not just that, I can tell just by looking at you two for a few moments that there is a much stronger bond there than between niece and nephew. And Addis means son," he added, "it's as if you wanted someone to find out." Arthur paused, expecting Feu to say something, but she remained silent. "Well?" He said eventually.

Feu looked up at him, looking slightly confused.

"I need to hear it from you Feu," Arthur said sternly, "I can't just assume I'm right. Is Addis your son?"

Feu looked down at the floor again, but pulled Addis closer to her. "Yes," she admitted.

When Feu looked up at Arthur again, she saw that he didn't look angry at this news, as she had expected him to be, he looked sad.

"You gave birth to him, all alone in the wild?" Arthur asked gently.

It was Feu's turn to sound stern, and a little irritated. "Yes," she said, her eyes becoming hard and her jaw stiffening. This was not something she had been asked often, and it was not something she liked to be asked.

"And you brought him up? With no help at all?"

"Yes." _My mother didn't do a bad job either, _Feu thought.

Arthur suddenly went quiet, and he couldn't help a sigh escape his lips. "You know Feu, when you ran off to get Merlin I felt so angry about what you had done. But then I realised what you had done with Addis, and I'm impressed that you managed you look after him all by yourself. But now I'm just confused that you left." He admitted.

Feu fell silent. She shook her head, irritated, as Addis started to pull a little harder at her hair. He stopped quickly, but continued to sit on her knee, staring off into the distance, not quite sure what the conversation the two adults was having was about, only that he had something to do with it.

If Feu thought that perhaps this was all Arthur wanted to say on the subject of her and her son, she was wrong.

"I think I might know the reason why you wanted to run away Feu."

Feu remained quiet, waiting for Arthur's explanation; she kept her eyes down, avoiding his eyes. "Of course you would want to leave a City that could put danger to your unborn child." He told her.

Feu looked up at him, confused, how did he know? She opened her mouth to make some sort of excuse, but Arthur got there first.

"He looks a lot like Merlin you know," he said casually.

It wasn't very often someone saw Feu speechless. Her eyes widened slightly and she couldn't help but let her jaw drop. Addis looked up at her, slightly confused, but she avoided eye contact with both him and Arthur, staring into the trees as if hoping something would come along that would dramatically change the topic of conversation.

"I…I don't know what you're talking about." She said eventually, and a little breathlessly, as if she had spent the last few seconds holding her breath.

Arthur's stern voice returned, and his eyes narrowed a little. "You know exactly what I'm talking about Feu."

Silence. But Arthur wasn't going to let that get in the way.

"Feu, tell me the truth, is Addis Merlin's son?"

Slowly, Feu nodded.

Addis looked up at his mummy, clearly confused. He hardly heard anything about his daddy, but Arthur seemed to know a lot about him. Why was Arthur looking so angry then? He was certainly less funny when he was glaring at mummy.

"How did you know?" Feu asked quietly.

"He looks exactly like him Feu, surely anyone could see that."

"Anyone apart from Merlin."

Arthur's eyes widened, "you haven't told him?"

Feu shook her head.

"Why ever not Feu? He deserves to know that he has a son!" Arthur blurted out, shocked and angry. Feu looked around, worried that Merlin might have heard Arthur shout, and shushed him quickly. But this seemed to make Arthur even more angry. "Go on then, what's your excuse!" He demanded. "Why haven't you told him?"

"How would you tell him Arthur?" Feu snapped suddenly. "I didn't know how he would react, and after all these years I assumed I wouldn't need to tell him that he has a son. And it could be dangerous, I didn't want to reveal to anyone that I had the son of Merlin if people knew…what he was." Feu stopped, eyeing Arthur nervously, wondering if he knew about Merlin's magic and how powerful he will become one day.

Arthur seemed to guess what Feu was thinking. "Yes Feu I know about his magic, I found out not long after I became King." He paused, "actually, now I think about it, it was pretty obvious that he was a sorcerer."

Feu nodded, "it was staring you in the face Arthur, for an awful long time, and Merlin's not the best at keeping secrets. I'm surprised it took you so long to find out, are you really that—"

"Yes, yes all right," Arthur said quickly, before Feu's insults could get into full flow. "I know now, and that's all that matters."

Feu smiled, she was enjoying herself. It was just like in the past, the few times she felt truly happy in Camelot and not threatened by anyone. The only things to do would be to spend time with Merlin, chat to Gwen and insult Arthur. Strange though they may sound, they were some of the best memories Feu had, along with the time she spent with her mother and her new-born son.

"I can do magkick too!" Addis decided to announce loudly and excitedly, deciding that this would help in the conversation.

Feu smiled again, and jigged her knee up and down, "yes I know darling." She said.

Arthur however, still wasn't satisfied. In fact, Addis' announcement about magic confirmed his decision. Merlin deserved to know the truth "If you're not going to tell Merlin," he said roughly, "I will."

The colour drained quickly from Feu's face, and she jumped up, Addis almost falling off her knee. "No Arthur, you can't!" Feu's eyes were wild, "please don't. If someone has to tell him, it has to come from me. But please, I'm not ready to tell him, he was angry when he merely saw me! He's not ready for this, and I'm not ready to admit to him."

But Arthur had no sympathy, "sorry Feu, it's not fair for him not to be told. I'm going to have to tell Merlin."

He was about to leave, but Feu grabbed onto his sleeve.

"Please Arthur." She said desperately.

Arthur, still glowering, looked up into Feu's eyes. It had been a long time since he had looked deep into those eyes. Even though he felt more about Gwen than he had done for anyone else in his life, Feu's dark eyes sparked something inside of him that he once had for her, and still had deep inside: affection. He couldn't help but falter for a few moments. But some things were more important than lost feelings.

"I'm sorry Feu, but I have no choice." Arthur told her, pulling away from her grip.

Feu reached forward and grabbed Arthur's sleeve again before he could turn away, but then she froze. Her ears, hidden behind her hair, pricked up. And her eyes were filled with a new kind of worry.

"Did you hear that?" She whispered.

Addis, standing beside his mother, looked around at the trees, his senses also alert. But Arthur could hear nothing.

"Don't try to change the subject Feu—" he began, but Feu shushed him.

"No, I'm serious, there is something there…" Feu fell silent. Arthur could feel the tension in the air, and fell silent too. But still, he heard nothing.

The moment seemed to pass, as Feu suddenly sighed and looked away from the trees. Perhaps there was nothing there, but still she kept a firm grip on Arthur's sleeve. "Please Arthur," she said, more seriously this time. "Promise me you won't tell Merlin, this is my secret to tell, not yours."

Arthur was silent for a few moments, but then he nodded.

"All right then," he sighed, "I promise, I won't tell Merlin."

Feu's face relaxed into a smile, she was about to turn away and walk back to Merlin, but Arthur spoke first.

"Just one more thing Feu," he called out to her.

Feu's smile disappeared as she turned back to Arthur.

Arthur sighed, "after all you put Merlin through after you left, after all you put everyone through who cared about you…I'm glad to have you back."

Then Feu did something Arthur was not expecting; she went up to him (Addis following her, holding her hand) and hugged him.

"I'm glad to be back too Arthur," she said sweetly.

And that was when both knew, despite all that may have happened while Feu had been gone, despite all that had happened while Feu was in Camelot, including her insults and slapping, she and Arthur would always be friends.


	6. Chapter 6

_Wow…I actually have nothing to say in this author's note! :O Shock of the evening that!…Actually, what's more shocking is that Merlin isn't going to be coming back until next year! Is that mean and unfair or what? ): Anyway, perhaps that mean next series will be even better? And I had something to say in the author's note! lol (: Please review (:_

Chapter 6

Arthur, Merlin, Feu and Addis had spent so long in the forest; the world around them was beginning to grow dark. They all knew it was a sensible decision when Arthur announced that they should set up a camp for the night, instead of trying to head back to Camelot. It may be a time of prosperity in the Kingdom, but that didn't mean there wasn't any danger lurking in the dark on the journey back. Not even Addis complained about having to spend a night out in the forest, he and Feu were used to doing to alone, and tonight the night was warm.

Despite having brought nothing to set up a camp, everyone was able to substitute well, and Feu and Merlin were able to use their magic without having to worry about what Arthur might think. Even though he was King, Arthur volunteered to collect the firewood, and Addis happily followed him, talking loudly about anything that popped into his head. Feu wasn't bothered, she knew he was in good hands, and she enjoyed spending time with Merlin, even if they had nothing to say.

Night descended quickly in the forest, but Arthur, Merlin, Feu and Addis were prepared. A fire was burning brightly, and a large canvas hung over two low hanging branches made a good substitute for a tent.

Everyone sat up talking, despite the foreboding dark. They were mainly wondering what everyone in Camelot was going to think when the King and his manservant didn't come back. But Arthur assured them they had done it before, so no one would really worry, as long as they came back soon.

It wasn't long before Addis, who had been trying so hard to stay up and listen to the adult's interesting conversations, curled up on Feu's lap and fell asleep, thumb in mouth. Feu rocked him gently up and down and stroked his fringe for a while, before putting him in the make shift tent.

Not long after that Arthur went to bed as well, explaining that Camelot couldn't be ruled by someone that didn't get any sleep. That left just Feu and Merlin sitting alone by the fire.

Now without a small boy on her lamp, Feu felt more relaxed, and she stretched out in front of the fire, like a cat, glad of its warmth and feeling more content than she had in a long time. She could see Merlin, sitting cross legged near by, watching her out of the corner of her eye. She couldn't help but smile.

"Addis almost managed to stay up as long as Arthur," Feu couldn't help but point out, breaking the silence between them. "Does that say something about Addis or about Arthur?"

Merlin smiled too, "well, it's quite tiring ruling such a large Kingdom, so I think we can forgive Arthur for his early night."

Feu nodded in silent agreement, rolling onto her back. She gazed up at the night sky through the trees, wondering what the time might be. All she could see above her were dark branches and twinkling stars. The moon stayed hidden out of sight.

Silence fell.

"So what are you going to do tomorrow?" Merlin asked suddenly.

Feu turned and looked up at his face, lit up with an orange glow by the fire. "I haven't thought about that," she admitted. "Stay in the forest, have breakfast? I'm sure we can catch something to eat."

"No, after that," Merlin said, "Arthur and me are going to have to go back to Camelot at some point."

Feu turned her head away and looked back up at the sky. She had fallen silent.

"So will you come back to Camelot with us?" Merlin asked into the silence.

Feu looked back at Merlin again, and was quiet for a very long time. "You really want that?" She whispered.

Merlin nodded, but said nothing. What he had wanted was to Feu to say 'yes' and that would be the end of it. But she was doing what he had dreaded her to do. She was debating it, she wasn't sure.

As if from very far away, Merlin heard Feu sigh. "I'm a wild animal Merlin, you've seen that. I've spent so long out in the wild now, I don't know if I'll be able to fit into Camelot. That's one of the reasons I left in the first place."

"But you say you're wild, I've seen the gentler side of you Feu, and so have others." Merlin pointed out; "it wasn't just me who was broken hearted to hear that you had gone. Gaius, Gwen, even Arthur. Although they were broken hearted in a different way," he added in a murmur.

"And I don't think I could bare to do anything like that to anyone again," Feu explained.

"You don't have to," Merlin whispered. He looked down at Feu's hand, which was lying outstretched across the soil. He reached slowly towards it and stroked Feu's soft skin. "You won't have to leave ever again."

Feu turned away once more, but she didn't move her hand. When she spoke, her voice was full of sadness. "I love you Merlin, you know I do, I always will. But I fear what people might think of me when I go back to Camelot. I know things aren't as bad as they were when Uther was King, but I don't want to take Addis into a world where he might be discriminated because of who he is, and he can't help who he is. I know how it feels to be judged because of what you are, and it hurts Merlin. I don't want Addis to feel the same."

"I understand Feu, I've felt exactly the same with my magic," Merlin told her. "But it doesn't matter what other people think of you, and no one will judge you in Camelot. No one judges me, even though finding out about my magic was a bit of a shock." He added with a laugh.

But Feu had fallen silent again, and Merlin could tell that she still wasn't sure, it was in her eyes as she gazed up at the sky. He sighed and stared into the fire, he didn't want Feu to leave, he was desperate for her to stay, but it was her decision, and nothing could change that.

During the long silence, Merlin stretched out and copied Feu, laying on his back and gazing up at the twinkling stars. He focused on the night sky and the warmth of the fire, not what was going round his head, or what might be going round Feu's head. Was his persuasion even going to push her further away?

"All right then," Feu said suddenly.

Merlin looked up at her, "what?"

Feu nodded, "yes Merlin, I will stay. A day hasn't gone by without me regretting leaving. I want to go back to Camelot with you."

Merlin was so pleased and happy, he couldn't help but laugh. "That's brilliant!" He exclaimed.

"I suppose it will make a change for Addis, living in one place for a long time and under a roof," Feu added, smiling to herself.

"You must travel around a lot then," Merlin commented at this.

"I don't dare stay in more than one place very long, it's too dangerous, even if it seems that there is no one else around." Feu explained.

There was a pause; Merlin glanced over at the silent make-shift tent. "And what does Addis think of all the travelling?" He asked, he was curious to know more about this boy who was with Feu all the time, and was going to be coming with them to Camelot.

"He doesn't seem to mind, he's just glad he has someone to take care of him I suppose," said Feu, "and also I think we likes walking. He enjoys wandering off to explore new places, to him, it's all a big adventure."

"Why did you come back?" Merlin asked suddenly. "After all this time, why now?" He didn't sound angry, just curious. They could have had this discussion four years ago, and Feu could have decided to stay in Camelot, and she would be living in Camelot right now, and they would be happy.

Feu sighed, she knew she would have to tell him at some point. "Travelling around all the time, keeping away from the towns, spending nights in the forest, you don't see many people very often. But a few weeks ago, I did encounter someone, an old friend."

"A friend?" Merlin repeated.

Feu hesitated, "well, I wouldn't really call her a friend…an acquaintance really."

"Who?"

"It was the Seer that came to Camelot, and told me all those years ago that my life would end in Camelot."

For a few moments, Merlin felt a wave of anger, in his opinion, it was whatever the Seer said that ultimately drew Feu out of Camelot, and then she has the nerve to still keep on turning up, five years later? But he managed to remain calm and curious. "What did she want?" He asked.

"She wanted to talk to me, to warn me," Feu explained. "Or, warn you and Arthur really. That's why I came, I knew I needed to tell you."

Merlin's brow furrowed with confusion, "What was it?"

Feu shook her head, "now is not the time to tell it Merlin, perhaps another day." She didn't want her beautiful night ruined by the words of the Seer that had filled her with dread when she first heard them.

"Where is this Seer?" Merlin demanded suddenly, "why can't she speak to us?"

Feu sighed again, "she's dead Merlin."

"What?" Merlin sat up with surprise, "how?" He asked Feu.

She shrugged, "age, the same thing that gets to all of us in the end really. She had just enough time to tell me her last prophecy before she found somewhere more comfortable and passed away. The poor woman didn't have many friends, it's hard to get them if you can do is make negative predictions. I stayed with her until I knew she had gone, and then I came to find you." Feu was never close to the Seer, but she felt sad talking about the day the Seer had passed away.

"Tell me about the prophecy," Merlin encouraged.

Once again, Feu shook her head, but she smiled as well. "Not tonight Merlin, let's make this one night just about us two, and then we can think about everything else." She shifted closer towards him and took his hand. "You never know what might happen tomorrow, so let's take this chance to have some time together while we can."

Merlin agreed, but neither of them were fully aware that Feu was right; you never do know what might happen tomorrow.


	7. Chapter 7

_This chapter contains some violence and blood , I thought I'd warn you because I'm nice (:_

_Reviews much appreciated (:_

Chapter 7

Dawn broke over the forest, the makeshift tent still in place, and the fire smoking gently, grey wisps of smoke floating up towards the morning sun. The sound of a chattering bird brought Feu from her peaceful slumber. She jerked awake to find that she was still laying outside, her hair covered in dead leaves, and her head resting on her arm. She looked around, and saw Merlin close by her. It seemed that he too had fallen asleep outside, but he hadn't woken up yet.

The sound of footsteps made Feu turn round, and she saw Arthur coming out of the tent. He grinned at her slightly startled expression.

"Did you forget to go to sleep last night?" He asked brightly. He didn't sound bothered by the fact Feu and Merlin had foolishly let themselves fall asleep outside. He was probably glad, as there wouldn't have been enough room in the tent for four people.

"Seems so," Feu mumbled, sitting up quickly and brushing the leaves from her hair. She gave Merlin a nudge with her foot. He groaned, which was at least a sign that he was waking up.

Before Feu could even rub the sleep from her eyes, Addis came scampering out the tent. He jumped into Feu's lap, the sudden weight on her legs making her wide-awake.

"Hello you," Feu said happily as Addis grinned excitedly up at her. "Did you have a good night sleep?"

Addis only had enough time to nod before saying: "I want some breakfast!"

His loud, excitable voice seemed to wake Merlin up as well, and he sat up, looking a little confused as if he had forgotten for a few moments where he was. But when he saw Feu, a smile grew on his lips.

"Morning," he said happily.

Feu returned his greeting and his smile. "Morning."

Addis however, didn't want to bother with morning greetings; he pulled at Feu's clothes. "I want some breakfast!" He repeated, annoyed.

"Yes all right," Feu said with a sigh, she looked up at Merlin and Arthur, "anyone else like some breakfast?" She asked.

The two of them nodded, "we'll help you look for something," said Arthur. He knew there had to be some fruit or something to eat, or maybe even a small animal to catch. Merlin agreed, and all four of them set off into the forest.

Little did they know that they were not the hunters, they were the hunted.

Looking for food took longer than the four of them had expected, so they decided to split up. Feu and Addis went one way, while Arthur and Merlin went another. Despite having to walk to get breakfast, and a night on the forest floor, everyone seemed to be in good spirits.

It was Addis who first sensed danger.

Addis was bored and hungry, but happy to be spending time with his Mummy, so said nothing. He strolled along; holding Feu's hand, kicking the odd stone every-now-and-then, and watching it bounce through the trees.

A sudden noise made him stop suddenly, and his ears prick up.

"Did you hear that Mummy?" Addis asked loudly.

Feu looked up and looked around her. She had heard nothing, but Addis had better hearing even than her, so she knew he wasn't lying. "What noise?" She asked.

Addis wasn't sure, he shrugged, "strange noise." He mumbled.

But whatever had made the noise had fallen silent again, and was hidden within the trees. Feu could see nothing, but she kept her senses alert. They continued through the forest.

In the end it was Arthur and Merlin who were attacked first.

The attackers had been following them for some time, and were coming closer, waiting to make the attack.

Merlin heard the typical crunch of snapping wood under a silent foot, and he stopped suddenly. "Arthur, did you heard that?" He asked in a whisper.

Arthur looked around to see Merlin frozen to the spot. He rolled his eyes. "It's probably a deer—" he began.

But then suddenly the men charged out of the trees.

There were only three of them, but they had nasty looking weapons in their hands and took Merlin and Arthur by surprise. Arthur had fortunately remembered to bring his sword along, so quickly drew it as the men came closer, ready to fight. White light burst from Merlin's hands, throwing the men backwards when they dared to come closer.

The men put up a decent fight, one almost whacking Arthur over the head with a nasty-looking club. But none of them dared to get too close. Merlin wondered if they knew Arthur was the King of Camelot, or perhaps they were afraid of Merlin's magic. Arthur seemed confused as well, so was beginning to get frustrated. As one man ran forward, instead of knocking him away with his sword, he grabbed the man by the scruff of the neck, almost lifting him off the ground.

"What do you want from us?" Arthur demanded angrily.

The scrawny man Arthur was holding had a large scratch down his face, they looked like claw marks, and only a few days old. At first it seemed the man wasn't going to say anything, but her was afraid of Arthur, who grew impatient and started to shake him. "Nothing!" The man blurted out.

"What do you mean nothing?" Arthur wanted to know, he and Merlin now confused.

"Err…" the man glanced nervously at his fellows, who didn't seem very happy that he had told Arthur the truth, but they had stopped attacking Arthur and Merlin, as they wanted to see where this was going to go. "We don't want anything from you," the man eventually confessed. "We just needed to distract you."

"Distract us? From what?" Arthur demanded.

Merlin shook his head, the colour suddenly draining from his face. "No," he mumbled, "from whom."

Arthur turned back to Merlin, and could see the worry in his friend's eyes, "Feu…" he began. Merlin nodded.

At this, Arthur was no longer interested in the man he had by the scruff of the neck, he pushed the man away, and he stumbled backwards and fell to the ground. The other two men briefly considered stopping Arthur and Merlin from going to look for Feu, but one murderous look from Arthur made them change their minds, and instead they took flight into the forest, the third one quickly running after them.

There was a moment of shocked silence, where Merlin and Arthur simply stared at one-another, as if they weren't sure of what to do.

"Why would they want Feu?" Arthur asked in a quiet voice.

Merlin shrugged, "I said she had lots of enemies, perhaps I was right."

With nothing else that needed to be said, Arthur and Merlin turned and ran through the forest, looking desperately for tracks that might lead them to Feu.

Feu heard the pounding footsteps of Arthur and Merlin before anything else. She looked up, confused, as she heard them shouting her name.

"Feu!" Merlin cried breathlessly, he could just glimpse her through the trees as they came closer. "Feu you have to run! The forest isn't safe! There's someone—" but Merlin never had time to finish his sentence.

This time, there were only two men bursting through the trees, Merlin didn't know them, but Feu did. It was Dwyn, and the other man was the one who had held her child at knifepoint.

Merlin and Arthur were still a fare distance away from Feu for them to do anything, but they heard Addis scream with terror as the two men launched themselves upon him and his mother. If Arthur and Merlin had been closer, they would have seen Addis' eyes flash bright green with fear.

Feu reacted quickly, turning to face the men, screaming to Addis to run, but Addis was too afraid.

The first man to come close enough to Feu was the one who had held Addis at knifepoint. Feu's fear and rage at the sight of this man was too much, and she wouldn't have been able to control herself if she wanted to.

A clawed hand swept out and cracked the man over the head, it was done with such force, that he fell to the ground, motionless.

Dwyn had stopped a few feet away from Feu, to see what would happen to his fellow if he continued with the attack. The sight of yet another dead man made him roar with fury.

"You'll pay for this witch!" He yelled, pointing at Feu, in the other hand he held his knife. "You'll pay for what you've done!"

Almost as soon as Dwyn had said this, the other three men that had attacked Merlin and Arthur appeared through the trees. Heading straight for Feu and Addis.

Drawing out his sword again, Arthur ran to Feu's aid, quickly followed by Merlin. Both were yelling with as much rage as Dwyn.

Feu glanced at them, at Dwyn, then at the three men running towards her. Finally, she looked down at her terrified Addis.

"Addis," she said hurriedly, kneeling down to his height. For a few moments, the anger in her eyes had disappeared. "Listen to me Addis," she said gently but firmly, as Addis looked around, terrified. "You have to run, run faster than you ever have before, and don't look back."

The prospect of this terrified Addis as much as the men running towards him. They had just collided with Merlin and Arthur, who were fighting with them ruthlessly. "But—" the small voice of Addis began.

"You have to go Addis," Feu told him, "I promise I'll find you. But you have to run, run now!" She shouted.

Despite the situation, Addis knew he had to do what he was told, and he turned and ran from the nasty, scary men, but also from Mummy.

Feu straightened up again, knowing that she had done what was right, even if it was dangerous. She came to her feet just in time, as she saw the man with the scarred face Arthur had threatened come running towards her, a strange axe-like object in hand. She reacted quickly, dodging out of his way and then hitting him hard around the face, so he lost his balance and fell. Before the man could get up, Feu kicked him hard, once in the stomach, again in the head. The man had just enough time to groan with surprise and pain before falling into unconsciousness.

Feu looked around her. Arthur and Merlin were fighting with two of the other men, Arthur using his sword, Merlin his magic. They both seemed to be winning, but there was something missing. Feu looked around.

Where was Dwyn?

With a sudden, horrible feeling, Feu turned back to where Addis had run off to, and realised what had happened. Dwyn was going after her son.

Addis was a fast runner for a small boy, but he wasn't quite fast enough to out-run a grown man. He heard the running footsteps of Dwyn, and it filled him with terror. But he kept on running, just like his Mummy said he had to.

Suddenly the sound of Dwyn's footsteps disappeared. Addis thought that maybe he had managed to out-run the scary man. This made him smile with pride, but he kept on running, he was still scared. He just hoped he would be able to get back to his Mummy soon.

But Addis was too busy thinking about getting back to his Mummy, he wasn't thinking about what was ahead of him until he almost ran into it. With a gasp of fear he managed to stop a few inches away from the tall man, and looked up into the mad, angry eyes of Dwyn.

"Got you!" Dwyn grinned, raising his knife.

Addis squinted, terrified, knowing that the knife would go plunging down into his neck. And then something very bad would happen…

"NO!" A scream ripped through the air, as Feu materialised through the trees, running between Dwyn and Addis.

For a few moments, Dwyn was taken by surprise, and he hesitated. He heard the rustling of trees behind him, and Merlin and Arthur appeared, they froze for a moment, looking at the scene ahead of them.

Dwyn took this chance.

He drove his knife down, aiming for the head of Addis he could just about see from behind Feu.

With another cry, Feu shoved Addis out the way, but she had no time herself to get away from the knife. She screwed up her eyes and raised her arm over her head to protect herself.

The knife sliced down into Feu's arm. It cut so deep it could have reached the bone. The flesh fell away and blood poured down Feu's arm.

"MUMMY!"

Feu only opened her eyes when she heard that scream. She couldn't feel any pain, but she knew something was wrong, even just by Addis' petrified scream. She looked down at her arm.

The sight of the gushing blood and the large, open wound made Feu's whole vision blur. She couldn't feel her legs any more; she was going to pass out.

"NO!" A joint cry from Arthur and Merlin brought Feu back to her senses a little. She was dimly aware of Addis clutching her leg, crying loudly.

Feu watched as Merlin, filled with rage, launched himself on Dwyn, who was still holding the knife. It only took simple magic to pull the knife from Dwyn's hands, but it takes a heart filled with so much love it turned to pure hate, to stab it into Dwyn's heart.

This was one of the last things Feu remembered seeing as Dwyn fell to his knees, then fell forward, and then became motionless. She remembered hearing Addis mumbling her name, still crying desperately, and Arthur shouting that she needed help.

Once again Feu could feel that couldn't stand up any longer, but suddenly Arthur had appeared by her side while Merlin was attacking Dwyn. He just managed to catch her before she collapsed and let the darkness take over.


	8. Chapter 8

_Wow loads of reviews for the last couple of chapters, thanks so much guys! :D Such a shame this story is already nearly coming to and end ): but we've still got a couple of chapters to go yet!_

_This chapter has a little bit of blood etc again, but not too much (:_

Chapter 8

For a few horrifying moments, Arthur thought that Feu was dead. Colour had completely drained from her face and she lay motionless in her arms, fresh blood continually dripped from her arm. But her chest moved gently up and down.

There was something tugging at Arthur's leg, he looked down to see Addis standing there, tears rolling down his cheeks, constantly mumbling for his Mummy, but of course she couldn't hear him.

"It's OK Addis, she's going to be OK," Arthur told Addis gently. The little boy nodded, but kept on crying.

As if in response to this, Feu began to wake up. Her eyes slowly opened, she looked up at Arthur and then down at Addis. She stroked the top of Addis' head with her uninjured arm, and mumbled something about Merlin.

But before Arthur could say anything to her, Feu was sick. He wasn't sure if it was some shock or from pain, but this told him that Feu needed urgent help.

"Merlin!"

Merlin ran over to Feu at the sound of Arthur's desperate shout. Arthur looked over to where Merlin had been, and saw the dead body of Dwyn. His eyes widened, he had seen many things, but he hadn't seen Merlin react so violently before. He must really love her.

"She's in a lot of trouble Merlin, how much do you know about healing?" Arthur asked. Although Feu was light, her weight was beginning to get too much, so he knelt down and rested her on the ground, she had passed out again.

"Err, well I have been living with a physician for quite a few years—" Merlin began, taking his jacket off quickly and wrapping it around Feu's injured arm.

"No," Arthur lowered his voice a little, as if he was worried that someone would be listening and would be ashamed of what he was going to say. "I meant magic."

Despite the fact that Arthur knew all about Merlin's magic, the question still took him by surprise. "Well I've never had to treat a cut this deep before," Merlin admitted, "but I know enough."

Arthur nodded. "Good, do it. I don't care if it's magic, she needs help and won't be able to wait for very long."

Merlin looked down at Feu again, he nodded, he knew exactly what to do. "I'm sorry if this hurts Feu," he said gently, placing his hand over his jacket, which was already stained with blood. "_Sana*_!"

There was an odd, yellow glow coming from Merlin's hand. It seemed to go right through the jacket, to Feu's wound. There were a few moments when nothing happened but the yellow glow, but suddenly Feu's eyes snapped open and she let out a startled cry as the yellow light burned into her.

"Sorry, sorry, sorry!" Merlin said quickly, seeing the fear in Feu's eyes. But the pain seemed to die away as soon as the light did as well, and she didn't utter another word, she knew she had to be brave for Addis.

Carefully, Merlin unwrapped his bloodstained jacket, to see how well Feu's arm had healed. The wound had closed up a lot, but there was still a cut running along Feu's arm, and it was still bleeding.

Arthur wasn't very impressed, "I thought you said you could heal it," he pointed out.

"I told you I haven't had to fix a wound this deep before." Merlin snapped back, annoyed and upset. "It's better than using any non magic techniques out here in the wilderness!"

"But it's still bleeding!" Arthur said in a slightly lower voice, as if he didn't want Feu to hear him.

"I'll be fine you two," Feu said in a rather hoarse voice. Her eyes, standing out against her even paler skin, watching the two men above her. But she had lost a lot of blood, and could feel herself sinking into darkness as she spoke.

In the distance, there was the sound of desperate sobbing, and Feu knew it was coming from Addis. The poor little boy had never seen his mother look so ill, and was now very scared. Merlin put a comforting arm around Addis, not sure of what else to do. Arthur looked at the two of them, and couldn't understand how anyone could see that they weren't alike.

"Addis shouldn't be seeing any of this Merlin," Arthur said suddenly, "you should take him somewhere quiet while I bandage the wound."

Merlin nodded, knowing it was the right thing to do. Addis seemed uncertain to leave, but Feu assured him that she would be all right, and he'll be safe with him. Addis reluctantly followed Merlin into the trees.

"Thank you Arthur," said Feu quietly.

"Thank you for what?" Arthur asked curiously as he took a closer look at Feu's wound.

"For sending Addis away. I never wanted him to see me like this, it was a good decision to keep him away."

Was Feu giving Arthur a compliment? It sounded like she was in serious need of help. Arthur smiled at his silent joke, but there was no time to sit around, Feu's eyes were already closing again, so he quickly said; "let's get you to a river or something, you need a drink."

It took a while to find a river and to get to it, as Feu still couldn't use her legs. But after she had had a drink, washed her face and washed the wound a little, Feu was feeling a little more awake. She sat quietly beside the bubbling stream, staring into the clear water as Arthur tore off a section of his clothing and started wrapping it tightly around Feu's arm.

Feu sighed, "it's been a long time since I've had such a bad injury as this," she confessed, "it's probably why I reacted so badly."

"I don't blame you," Arthur told her. "It did look pretty bad at first, but Merlin did a good job." There was a pause, "please don't tell him I said that."

Feu gave a weak smile, "my lips are sealed."

"Merlin tells me you're thinking of coming back to Camelot with us," Arthur said brightly, trying to take Feu's mind off the fight and her injury.

Feu nodded, but this didn't seem to give her any comfort, in fact she looked more troubled. She sat there in silence, muttering about what's for the best, and finding the others. Arthur had no idea what she meant by this, but stayed quiet, not wanting to disturb her from her thoughts.

XXX

Merlin and Addis didn't walk very far from where they had left Feu and Arthur. Merlin decided to stop in a small clearing. Addis, who had been walking slowly beside him and had been silent since they had left Feu, sat next to Merlin in the clearing, keeping his face down.

For a while Addis sat there pulling up tufts of grass with his bored fingers. His eyes worried, but his voice silent. After a couple of minutes however, Addis spoke.

"Is Feu going to be OK?" He asked Merlin.

Merlin looked down at the little boy, and nodded. "I'm sure she will be," he said gently.

"You used magkick to fix…Feu," Addis commented.

"Yes I did," Merlin said, wondering why there was such a long pause before Addis said Feu's name, as if he was thinking it through.

"I can do magkick too," Addis said loudly and proudly.

Merlin smiled, "good for you."

"But Feu says I'm not allowed to use magkick, not til I'm older," Addis explained, he sounded disappointed at this. Merlin nodded, he knew exactly how Addis felt.

As Merlin's mind cleared, the whole event with being attacked and Feu being seriously hurt had left his mind quite blurred, he remembered something that made his eyes narrow slightly with suspicion. He looked down at Addis again, who looked back up at him and smiled.

"Feu says that I must be brave if something like this happened," Addis explained.

"You are being very brave, I shall have to tell Feu how brave you're being." Merlin told Addis, but then he paused. "Addis, what did you call Feu when she got hurt?" He asked.

Addis opened his mouth to answer, but then he hesitated, he looked down at the ground as if he was ashamed of himself. This made Merlin feel even more suspicious.

"What did you call her Addis?" He asked again, still gently, but with a slight firmness, as if to tell Addis that the answer was important.

"Feu said I wasn't meant to call her that when she was around you," Addis mumbled.

"Why weren't you allowed to call her a certain name around me?" Merlin asked, he felt very uncomfortable and these words.

Addis shrugged, but said nothing.

"Well I'm sure she'll forgive you considering what happened," Merlin said kindly. "Now what did you call her?"

There was a pause, and then, "I called her Mummy."

Merlin had been expecting this answer since he had asked Addis the question, but the response still came as quite a shock. "Why did you call her Mummy?" But Merlin already knew the answer to this question too.

"Because she is my Mummy," Addis confessed.

Merlin felt like he had just run into a stone wall. The worst part was he wasn't sure why he hadn't seen it all along. Feu had hardly seen anyone, Addis was a half Doe like her, he had her smile. How did he not notice?

"She's your mother?" Merlin repeated, a little breathlessly.

Addis nodded, "is that a bad thing?" He asked, wondering why the man beside him had gone rather pale.

Merlin shook his head, "no, that's fine, it's just…surprising." He admitted.

Addis stared at Merlin for a while, and then he laughed, "you're funny," he said brightly.

"I'll take that as a compliment," Merlin said. But something else was on his mind now, Feu being a mother could wait, it was how she became a mother that was worrying him most. "Addis, have you ever met your father?" Merlin asked as casually as possible.

"No," Addis shook his head sadly.

"Does Feu talk about your father at all?"

"Sometimes." Addis nodded, "she says he was a very handsome young man, like I am, and that he was very clever and very brave like I will be."

There was a pause; "did she ever mention a name Addis?" Merlin asked slowly, unsure if he wanted to hear an answer. Feu said that he heart would always belonged to him, and yet there was her child right beside her.

Addis thought for a few moments. "Well, she did tell me once that she was going to name me after my Daddy, but she changed her mind because she said there was only ever one of him."

"And did she…" Merlin took a deep breath, "do you remember that name Addis?"

"Yes," Addis nodded, "she said she was going to call me Merlin."

*_Heal_


	9. Chapter 9

_Sorry for the late update, it's been a very stressful and busy week. Sorry about the short chapter as well, but it has been a bad week. ): Reviews will cheer me up though (:_

Chapter 9

After a while, Feu felt a lot better and she was strong enough to walk. She made her way back to their makeshift campsite with Arthur, knowing that Merlin and Addis would probably be there, or would join them soon. Feu was surprised that they weren't there yet, as she felt like she and Arthur had been gone for hours. She sat on the ground silently, waiting for them to appear.

A few minutes passed, and Merlin and Addis still hadn't appeared. Feu turned around and looked at Arthur, who was sitting by where the fire had once burned brightly, also waiting for Merlin and Addis to return. He looked up and matched her gaze, Feu's eyes narrowed.

"What?" Arthur asked quite innocently. He didn't like it when anyone was staring at him.

"There's something I'm missing," Feu muttered, "something quite obvious."

"What? That Addis and Merlin are missing? Yes that is quite obvious," Arthur joked.

Feu wasn't impressed by this response. "Yes I know they're missing, there's something about _them_, that _I'm _missing," she tried to explain.

Arthur shrugged, "I don't know what you mean."

"Which tells me you know exactly what I mean," Feu replied, her voice slightly stern now. She paused, thinking, and then said, "Merlin is quite good at treating wounds."

"I'm sure he is," Arthur said absent-mindedly, fiddling with the blackened pieces of wood by his feet. Feu continued to watch him suspiciously.

"Then why did you decide to treat me instead of him?" Feu asked.

Arthur shrugged, as if it was one of those things, but Feu knew it was a lot more than that, mainly because he was now trying very hard not to smile about something he was keeping to himself.

"It's almost as if," Feu spoke deliberately slowly, looking down at the ground as if she was trying very hard to work something out. "It's almost as if you wanted Merlin to spend some time with Addis."

"There's nothing wrong with that, it's nice they are spending a bit of time together, I hadn't thought about that," Arthur lied, he allowed himself to smile. "But what a happy coincidence that it did happen!" He said brightly

Feu glared, "very funny Arthur," she snapped. "You did have a reason, but what…" Suddenly Feu stopped, and her eyes widened. She looked back up at Arthur, clearly worried. "What have you done Arthur?"

Arthur definitely felt confused now. "I haven't done anything wrong—" he began, but Feu had suddenly jumped up and was about to head out into the forest, as if she wanted to try and stop Merlin from finding out a secret.

But as soon as she had stood up, Merlin and Addis emerged through the trees.

Addis was overjoyed to see his Mummy back on her feet, with a little more colour in her cheeks. Feu was thrilled to see him Addis too, and when he ran over to her, she pulled him into a tight hug. But Feu could still see out of the corner of her eye Merlin watching them, and he hadn't moved any nearer towards them.

"Go and talk to Arthur for a minute darling," Feu whispered in Addis' ear, "I need to speak to Merlin."

Addis nodded happily, but he looked a little concerned by the way Feu and Merlin seemed to be looking at each other. Maybe it was because of what he said? He could be in big trouble. Addis decided to stay quiet and do as he was told, maybe Mummy wouldn't mind what he had told Merlin.

It didn't take Feu very long to persuade Arthur to go on an 'adventure' with Addis, not too far from the campsite. (Her main source of persuasion was her eyes, which gave a look that told Arthur that he had to so she could try and fix the trouble he had just made or else he would be in even more trouble.)

When Arthur and Addis had walked into the trees, Addis already talking very loudly and happily to him about everything under the sun, Feu turned her attention back to Merlin.

There was a long silence.

"So," Merlin said as casually as possible, "how are you feeling?"

"A lot better thank you." Feu said quietly.

Merlin nodded, he would have felt a lot more relieved if there wasn't something much more important on his mind. "I had an interesting conversation with Addis while we were waiting in the forest."

Feu stayed silent, she looked down at the ground as if she was ashamed of herself. When she looked up again, she found that Merlin was still staring at her, but it was impossible to read the emotion on his face.

"Is it true what he says Feu?" Merlin asked into the silence. "Is Addis my son?"

There was a long pause that seemed to stretch out for hours, and the silence remained. Slowly, Feu nodded.

Another stretch of silence followed.

"I have a son?" Merlin said quietly. Suddenly, his eyes filled with tears, but it was not from sadness, because a broad grin had also stretched across his face. "I have a son!" Merlin repeated, so happy he was laughing.

Feu nodded again. Suddenly she ran towards him and threw her arms around him. Both of them found themselves laughing, laughing with happiness, and then laughing because they had completely forgotten what the laughter and happiness was about. But all that mattered was that they were together, and they were happy. Feu wanted to cherish the moment before it died away, before she destroyed it.

XXX

It was a few hours before Merlin said the words Feu was dreading to hear.

They were still in the forest, at the campsite. Addis was back with his Mummy, and she didn't seem angry at all that he had accidentally revealed something to Merlin that he shouldn't have. He was glad that there were no more monsters coming after him and that they had finally had something to eat.

Addis had spent most of the time with Feu and Merlin, but had wandered off to practise sword fighting with Arthur. By the distant sounds that floated through the trees, the two of them got on very well, and Arthur was already loosing.

Merlin sat on the forest floor beside Feu, who was silent, her sparkling eyes staring off into the distance, deep in thought. At first the silence was pleasant, especially when it was just Merlin and Feu together, but now it was beginning to get uncomfortable, and Merlin was desperate to break it.

"I don't know what everyone's going to say when we get back to Camelot." He commented brightly.

Feu said nothing, she just nodded.

"It's not really a way to find out that you're a father," Merlin continued, "but I thought I may never get the chance to fall in love again and start a family. So I'm happy either way."

There was a flicker of a smile of Feu's lips, but apart from that, nothing but silence.

"I wonder what Addis will think of his new home, living in a City with a mother and a father, it's a big change."

Merlin was smiling as he thought of these things, but then he saw that Feu wasn't smiling at all, in fact, it looked like she was going to cry.

"Feu?" Merlin said gently, "Feu what's wrong?" He asked.

Feu shook her head sadly, her eyes filling with tears. "I can't Merlin," she said in a strained voice.

"Can't what?"

A single, large tear rolled down Feu's cheek; "I can't go back to Camelot."

Merlin was confused, "why not?"

"Because I have a child Merlin, and I promised myself I would keep him safe, and that I wouldn't die and leave him all alone like my mother did. I was doing so well, but then I come here and within a day a mad man is trying to stab my son! How can I live in a world like that?"

Merlin hung his head, "But you said you would stay," he said in a very quiet voice.

Feu nodded again, "I know Merlin and I'm sorry, truly I am. I would give anything to stay with you. But I wouldn't give my son."

Just then, Addis came back through the trees, a broad grin on his face, but it quickly died away when he saw that his Mummy was crying. He went and sat on her lap, looking into her dark eyes with his huge ones that looked exactly like Merlin's.

"What's wrong Mummy?" He asked.

Feu just managed to smile, "nothing darling," she said kindly, gently pulling him close to her.

Merlin watched Feu and Addis as they sat together. Silence had fallen between him and Feu, but Addis was talking happily. Feu nodded along with his words as she dried her eyes and stroked his dark, soft hair. Merlin thought about how alike they looked, how caring Feu was, how precious Addis was.

Suddenly Merlin realised why Feu wanted to stay away from Camelot, and he understood.


	10. Chapter 10

Chapter 10

The day finally came that Merlin had been dreading, the day Feu left.

They had been staying in the forest for a week. Arthur briefly went back to Camelot to explain that he would be gone for a few days, just in case people started to think that he and his manservant had been eaten. He returned the same day with a few supplies such as food that he knew Feu was appreciated and a message to Feu from Gwen. Arthur also brought a large, dark brown horse that he thought would come in useful if Feu was going to be doing a lot of travelling and that she had learnt to ride a horse properly since she had been gone.

The horse was wild yet gentle, and its dark eyes sparkled light stars in the night sky. Feu was overjoyed with the sight of a new horse, and as she stroked its long, dark mane, Merlin saw how alike the two were.

On the morning Feu and Addis left, everyone was more quiet than usual. Merlin watched Feu as she stood beside the horse, resting her head against its neck, her eyes telling him that she was battling with something inside her, battling with the same question he was about to ask her.

"Are you sure you want to leave?"

Feu's head jerked up, she had been so deep in thought she hadn't even noticed that Merlin was there. She gave a brave smile and nodded, but she wished she wasn't so sure, she wished she could stay.

"Where will you go first?" Merlin asked.

"Do you remember me telling you about the group of Does that were travelling around here?" Feu said, Merlin nodded. "Well I'm going to look for them, they won't drive me away. The Seer told me about them, and she said they might know about my mother, even my father and that they'll welcome me into the group. It's finally time I found out who I was."

Merlin wished he could say it didn't matter what Feu was, as long as she was with him that's all that mattered, but he knew how it felt not to know who you truly were. Feu deserved to find the answers, and he shouldn't stop her.

Strangely, neither hearts were broken at the news that Feu was leaving, instead there was a sort of mutual understanding between them. A knowing that it was the right thing to do, and they would feel exactly the same if they were in each other's shoes.

But it didn't prevent the pain that was still felt.

"Can't you stay for a little longer?" Merlin tried.

Feu sighed, she knew he was going to say that. "I'm wild Merlin, you can't keep me in one place for such a long time, and trying to make me is just going to make it worse."

Merlin hung his head at these words. He heard Feu's soft footsteps come towards him, and then her hands in his. He looked up into her eyes, and tried not to think about how beautiful she was.

"But that doesn't mean I don't love you," Feu said gently.

"Will I ever see you again?" Merlin asked quietly.

Feu smiled, "of course, I'll come here whenever I can, I promise. I won't be able to stop myself. I don't know when I'll come back, or how long it will be, but I'll come back because I'll know you'll be waiting for me. And Addis will come too; he'll always be pleased to see you."

There was a pause, "have you told Addis who I am yet?" Merlin asked.

Feu shook her head; "no, he's too young. Addis is bright, but I think if I tried to explain everything to him he'll get a headache." She smiled again at her joke. Merlin smiled too, it was something that couldn't be helped, her smile was catching. "But he'll know one day," Feu assured Merlin, "he deserves to know."

After a few moments of silence, as if neither of them knew what to do or say next, Merlin drew Feu into a tight embrace, and felt like he would never be able to let go. After Feu's injury, the smell of spices had been lingering around the campsite for days, but it had faded away into almost nothing. Taking a deep breath, Merlin could still smell the spices lingering in her hair. He smiled.

"I'm going to miss your smell," he said, unaware of how strange this may sound, but when you say it to a Doe, it's not strange at all.

Feu pulled back from Merlin a little, but only so she lock her lips around his. When she drew away a smile was still flickering on her face.

"I'm going to miss everything about you Merlin," she told him.

In the end, it was almost sunset before Feu and Addis finally got ready to leave, with as many supplies as possible. Addis seemed sad that he was leaving his new friends, but at the same time he was excited to be moving on, as everything to him was an adventure.

Feu and Addis were dressed in their cloaks again as they said goodbye to Arthur and Merlin. Merlin did one last magic trick for Addis, which made him clap and laugh and tell Merlin he was funny, before giving him a tight hug. Arthur held out his hand for Addis to shake, only to find that despite his small size, Addis was incredibly strong and made it feel like his arm was about to fall off, which made Feu laugh. Addis also gave Arthur a hug before Feu helped Addis onto the horse.

Now it was Feu's turn to say goodbye. She went to Arthur first, pulling him into a tight hug, which took Arthur by surprise, and then made him go bright red by planting a large kiss on his cheek. She then turned her attention to Merlin, and found that despite how painful the situation was, she felt happy, because now she could give Merlin a proper goodbye. They hugged each other tightly and kissed, they didn't say anything, because there was nothing that needed to be said.

When Merlin and Feu finally drew away, Feu climbed on top of the horse in front of Addis, taking the reins. She was just about to say a final goodbye, when Arthur spoke.

"Wait," he said suddenly, "what was the thing the Seer told you, the message was the reason why you came?" He asked.

"Oh," Feu hesitated for a few moments, as if she had forgotten. "Yes of course," she tried to act like it wasn't such a big deal. The truth was, she had been trying to forget the other reason why she felt that she couldn't stay in Camelot. "Beware of Morgana."

There was a slightly shocked silence.

"But Morgana's been missing for years," Merlin mumbled.

"In which case you should start to keep your eyes open for her," Feu replied. "But don't worry, she's not the only one who'll be coming back," she said with a grin. She couldn't help but feel excited that she was going out to find the Does, and that she was certain she would see Merlin again. But there was only one word left to say. "Goodbye," said Feu.

"Byee!" Addis gave a cheery wave.

Then the two of them set out on the horse, away from Camelot, into the trees. Arthur and Merlin called their goodbyes out to them and waved until the horse had disappeared from sight.

And Merlin knew it was going to be OK, because Does always keep their promise. And sure enough Feu returned to Camelot, and they found each other again and again, right until the fall of Camelot. And even when they were apart, they knew where their hearts belonged.

**THE END**

_Well everyone, told you it was going to be short…_

_Aagh but I can't believe it's the end! I feel sad when I finish one fanfic story, by making this a trilogy I may have just multiplied that by 3! :S lol_

_I hope the last chapter was OK, a little cheesy now and then, and I'm dreadful at romance, but the main reason for this story was to give Merlin and Feu a proper goodbye, and hope for the future._

_It feels so strange that this is over. I have left it open for possible sequels, but I think there's got to be a time where it has to stop, and this is a good time. Maybe I'll come up with some AMAZAING idea that I HAVE to write down about Merlin and Feu…but I doubt it. Of course if you feel it's not the end and you have an idea, feel free to write it! Well it is unlikely, but I'm just saying if you have the urge…_

_Anyway, just want to say a BIG thank you for reading these stories, I hope you enjoyed it and it was worth all the months I've been updating. A quick thank you as well to Brandibuckeye, Gina Frodo H and Kitty O for their regular reviews. Everyone else who reviewed, thank you! :D Maybe just one last review telling me what you thought of the chapter/story/trilogy over all? (:_

_So, time for a bit of harmless advertising? Why not! I've written some other stuff, Merlin and non-Merlin, if you're interested have a read, if you have something to say, review! (: And if you feel that it's a bit too early to say goodbye to Feu I've got the facts, the drawing and the one-shot, all of which can be found on my profile!_

_Before I finish, I just want to say a quick question. You've read a lot of my stuff now, a whole trilogy actually! So I think it's quite acceptable to ask, do you think I have the talent to become a published author? I've wanted to be an author for years, but I don't really know if I really have the skill to get there, and it doesn't help that I've been feeling really low recently. So, what do you think? I'm working on something at the moment actually that I hope to get published, and there may even one day be a published story with Feu's species in it! (:_

_Anyway, I think that's all I need to say, apart from saying thanks again for reading, and apologise for any spelling errors etc that we may have encountered along the way (:_

_Cheers everyone!_

_Love Naisa_

_xxx_


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